Imagine telling everyone at your next leadership team meeting, “I’m working on taking more quiet time.” They’d probably ask if everything’s okay.
Most leaders live with nonstop input and activity. Meetings, messages, news, podcasts, alerts, opinions, demands, and of course one more critical thing to do before the day ends. It starts to feel normal, even necessary. Spoiler alert: It’s not.
Never Mistake a Busy Mind for a Productive One
The brain is designed to think. And think. And think. If there’s a pause in a meeting, you say something. If the calendar has a gap, you book something. If the mind slows down, grab your cell phone. Which can be very useful — until it’s not.
Changing that pattern requires attention and intention. Silence doesn’t happen automatically. For most leaders, it’s something you have to practice. You can make it a habit, even if you don’t think it’s possible
The payoff can be extraordinary. Decisions improve, listening improves, and you stop reacting to every thought that runs through your head.
Experiential Amare Moment — Do This Now
Close your eyes. Take one slow breath. Now look around the room.
Notice one thing you hadn’t noticed before. Hey, how’d that happen??
Want to lead with more clarity, calm, and intention? The Amare Leadership Lab is a small-group experience for leaders ready to grow beyond nonstop busyness and strengthen how they lead from the inside out. Learn more here: Amare Leadership Lab.
Mirror – Questions to Reflect On
• When was the last time you allowed real quiet in your day?
• What do you do the moment things slow down?
Window – Look at What Dalio, Weiner, & Gates Do
Some highly accomplished leaders build silence into their work very deliberately.
Jeff Weiner, when he was CEO of LinkedIn, kept blocks of time on his calendar with nothing scheduled. Without that space, he said, he went from meeting to meeting without ever thinking about what he’d just heard.
Bill Gates has long taken “Think Weeks,” going away alone to read and reflect. Many of Microsoft’s big ideas came out of those quiet periods, not from busy days at the office.
Ray Dalio has said that meditation helped him stay steady while making high-pressure decisions. For him, stillness isn’t about relaxation. It’s about seeing reality without reacting.
Different approaches, same pattern. Great leaders make room for silence and reflection instead of assuming it will just happen in the middle of all the noise.
How “Quiet Breaks” Help Leaders
Studies show that brief periods of quiet rest help the brain consolidate memories and sort out what it has taken in. Harvard Business School researchers have likewise found that people who pause to reflect actually perform better than those who keep working without stopping, even when both groups spend the same total amount of time.
Door Into Action – 5 Amare Steps to Cultivate Productive Silence
1. Start with one minute. Sit in silence for 60 seconds once a day this week. You can spare a minute!
2. Put quiet on the calendar. Block 10 minutes each day this week with nothing scheduled. Name it. Honor it.
3. Create a daily device-free window. Pick one time each day with no email, no texts, no podcast, no calls. No more input. Just you.
4. Pause before answering. Wait a moment before you respond in one conversation today. IF you need a buffer, say “give me a minute.”
5. Notice resistance. Watch for your mind telling you to avoid silence and to get busy instead. Say thank you.
Amare Team Talk
Start one meeting with one minute of silence. Then ask, “What are we missing because we’re moving too fast, and not pausing?” To amplify the lesson, give people time to think before anyone answers.
Your Inspirational Challenge
You don’t need more emails or meetings You probably could use a little more space between them.
This week, experiment with being quiet on purpose. Take moments where you can. That alone can change how you lead.
For a quiet moment, shhh.
– Moshe
Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote
“As soon as I step into silence, I remember what I love. I remember what’s essential and what lasts.”
—Pico Iyer, author, Aflame: Learning from Silence
Acknowledgements: Gratitude to the House of Beautiful Business for their wonderful interview with Pico.
Click here and read more Amare Wave Wednesday newsletters on related topics:
Too Busy To Grow? 5 Amare Steps To Get Out Of The Grind & Reclaim Your Leadership
Three Simple Techniques To Quit Being So Damn Busy At Work
6 Amare Ways To Take The Long View As A Leader – Even When You’re Crazy Busy
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast: The Hidden Business Costs Of “Always On”
Original article published on Inc.com.
